1. Field of the Invention
The device and method of the present invention relates to the general field of refilling inkjet cartridges. More specifically, the present invention relates to the forcible removal of an inkjet cartridge's lid using a mechanical device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are several commercially-available varieties of computer printers. Some use thermal heads. Others use lasers. Perhaps the most common sort of printer, however, uses ink jets.
These inkjet printers are very popular because they may be purchased at relatively low cost. Maintenance is not quite so cheap, however. The print head and ink container for an inkjet printer is typically included in a disposable unit. These disposable units may be very expensive. In some cases, such a cartridge may be good for printing less than 500 sheets of paper, and cost more than a fourth of the purchase price for the printer in which they are to be used. Considering this, the user may quickly incur maintenance costs which exceed the cost of the entire printer.
One reason for the high cost per cartridge is that a new print head is included with the cartridge. This print head has a useful life multiple times longer than the length of time provided by the ink included. Therefore, when a cartridge is discarded after running out of ink, a still-good cartridge and print head are wasted.
The problem is exacerbated where color cartridges are concerned. Color cartridges typically have three separate color reservoirs. One for each of three primary colors. These colors will tend to run out at different rates. When the first of the three runs out, the user may throw out significant quantities of unused ink in the other two reservoirs.
The manufacturers of these cartridges have not provided the consumer with a way to replenish the ink within these cartridges, or even develop an alternative design in which does not require disposal of the cartridge. Instead, the manufacturers have created a cartridge that is difficult to refill. This type of cartridge typically has top and bottom shell-like halves. The top half typically has a flange created around its lower edges. The lower half has a flange around its upper edges. These flanges are fused together to connect the halves to create a fluidly sealed ink reservoir. The fusing is done through the use of adhesives or sonic welding. Because the fusion is intended by the manufacturer to be permanent, it difficult to break the halves apart for refilling without causing damage.
Devices have been developed in the prior art for separating the two halves. Most of these devices separate the halves using leverage. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,143 issued to Yuen. Other numerous devices exist which mechanically remove the cartridge top. All of the these prior art devices, however, have disadvantages. Many will damage the cartridge because of their crudeness. Others will not sufficiently grip the cartridge. This causes significant problems because the cartridge may pop out of its intended position, possibly exposing the user or his or her surroundings to be stained with permanent ink. The prior art devices may also not be capable of accommodating different sizes of cartridges.
Therefore, there exists in the art a need for a device that will enable the user to separate the two halves of a two-half cartridge so that it may be refilled with ink, but will not damage the cartridge, or cause the cartridges to pop out during the process. The device should also be versatile and accommodate different cartridge sizes.